Three cool things about Ms. Marvel

1. The ambition. I know this is derived from the House of M (she "remembers" herself as the world's greatest/most popular superhero and wants to attain that in the real world as well) but I really like it--the idea of superheroism as a career path in which one can advance by virtue of one's own efforts is an interesting one.

The way she chooses to go about this seems to indicate that she herself is uncertain about what, exactly, she wants--the acclaim? The search for popularity--being a "name"--accounts for her tolerance for the annoying PR woman; she's looking for a way to measure her success. But that's celebrity. Being most popular doesn't mean being best, but improving her performance is a much more difficult and less quantifiable task, so it's not surprising (for someone as literal-minded as Carol can be) that she has taken this path at this point. I'm assuming that somewhere along the way we'll see a more altruistic motivation on Carol's part--the notion that she could do so much more good in the world than she has been--but so far, that's not what we're seeing.

2. The costume. Not the current interpretation with the legs cut so high I don't even want to think about the shaving involved and the sash that's barely attached, but the original Cockrum design where the butt is actually covered. (I know the look is dated, but I can't help it, that's the era of my youth and I still think his stuff looks cool!) Besides, did you see her original costume? The one taken directly from Captain Mar-vell? Except for the bare legs and midriff? And the nasty haircut that almost no one could draw well? Ew!

3. The connections. Ex-military, ex-Avenger, Carol knows everybody. Lunch with Spider-woman in her own book. Playing matchmaker to Jessica Jones in Alias. (I actually very much liked Carol's portrayal in that series--a good person who nonetheless isn't necessarily the deepest soul in the universe, and who has a strong self-centered streak. You never see that in comics, but you see a lot of it in the real world, and it's good to see it reflected here.) Not all superhero team-ups or social meetings seem in character, but Carol's almost always do--they seem natural.